Keeping Carpet Clean

Importance of a Clean Carpet

Interior carpet is one of the most important visual elements inside a car. Not only is dirty carpet visually unappealing, but it can also lower the value of a vehicle. Maintaining clean carpet each day is much easier than attempting to tackle a year’s worth of buildup, which can potentially lead to permanent damage. Keeping carpet clean helps keep passengers comfortable and improves the overall atmosphere inside the vehicle, creating a more pleasant, relaxing, and clean driving experience. In this post, we’ll share tips and tricks for keeping carpet looking its best.

1. Road Salt

Road salt is an eye sore. It makes carpet feel rough and gritty, and is very easy to see on darker-colored carpets. It can be incredibly difficult to remove if not done correctly. A very simple way to remove salt is to use an extractor. Salt dissolves in warm water, and an extractor uses steaming hot water which should easily dissolve the salt for extraction. A warm water spray bottle and drill brush to loosen the salt, then extract the water (you don’t want to leave your carpet wet and damage the layers underneath) using an extractor or dry towels.

2. Hair

Hair is arguably the most unsightly contaminant on carpet (and fabric seats) and a contender for the hardest to remove. Some carpets can trap hair better than others, and hair can become stuck to carpet due to static cling. An easy way to remove hair from carpet is to use a hair removal tool (pictured on the right).

Another very effective way to loosen up hair that is being stubborn is to use one of the greatest hair removal tools: a tornador. These air guns create small vortexes that can help remove hair that refuses to let go. Combine a tornador with a pumice stone for fantastic results (but don’t use too much pressure with pumice stones). Follow up with a vacuum and you’re all set.

3. Liquid Stains

Many different types of liquids can dry and leave stains that are difficult to remove. Proper storage and handling during transportation are key to keeping liquids off the carpet, but accidents happen. Most stains can be improved or removed completely, but unfortunately, some stains are permanent, especially on lighter-colored carpets.

Most liquid stains can be removed by using a high-quality carpet-cleaning chemical combined with the tried-and-true drill brush. This method is very effective at removing most stains and can also help with road salt while loosening embedded hair. Even when a stain is permanent, this method can usually improve its visual appearance. Follow up with an extractor or clean towel to clean up.

Note: different chemicals are more effective at removing specific types of liquid contaminants.